Some Thoughts About The Bracket
Filed under: ACC, NCAA Tournament, college basketball, sports
Well, all the talking of strength of schedule, Top 25 wins, Top 50 wins, RPI, road victories, home victories and Bubble Watches is over. Now’s the time when the game gets serious. The 2010 NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed yesterday after 6:00 PM and offered a few surprises, as it does every year. I have a few thoughts regarding the bracket which I will share here:
- First off the top, I would love for someone to explain with a straight face how Duke was seeded ahead of Syracuse on the #1 line. There was debate right up until the last minute as to whether Duke would get the #1 seed at all (I’m not so sure they deserved it). Particularly when you consider comparable stats, Syracuse was better. You can’t tell me that because Syracuse was a one and done in the Big East Tournament and Duke cruised to the ACC Tournament title that those games pushed them over the top.
- Surprise, but not really: the exclusion of Virginia Tech. You just knew when they went out against the last-place Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Tournament that they would be once again sitting on pins and needles looking for a bid. And in a year where the bubble was a soft as Charmin, the Hokies were left out. Ironically, the team that might have taken their spot was in the same conference. Georgia Tech was widely considered prior to the conference tournament as a bubble team, while Virginia Tech seemed to have done enough. But with the Yellow Jackets’ run through the tournament, winning three games and playing Duke fairly close in the conference title game, plus their stronger schedule vs. the Hokies’ schedule, probably got Georgia Tech in and kept Virginia Tech out.
- Maryland has an interesting draw. A first round game against a Houston team that won the Conference USA Tournament and features the country’s leading scorer in Aubrey Coleman, and a coach in Tom Penders who’s been around the block a few times makes this a potential nip and tuck game. Should the Terps survive, they may have a date with Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans. I love my Terps, but I’m not so certain they can beat the Spartans. Should they get by their Big Ten competition, Kansas-the overall #1 seed-awaits in the Sweet Sixteen. Yikes.
- Georgetown, fresh off a run in the Big East tournament which left them a basket short from a championship, somehow manages to also be in the same Midwest region as Maryland, but on the lower half of the bracket. If the Hoya team that showed up at Madison Square Garden shows up in this tournament, they will be a very tough out. If the team that got drilled by South Florida at home is in play, they could go out early. With Georgetown, the talent is there; it’s all about effort and consistency.
- The State of Maryland got two teams in the big dance, and while I’ve already spoken about the Terps, let’s hear it for Morgan State. For the second consecutive season, the Bears won the MEAC conference tournament and get in to face a big conference power. This year, the Bears take on West Virginia, coming off a Big East Tournament win. It’s another big mountain to climb, but Todd Bozeman will certainly have his squad ready to go. But whether or not they can beat the Mountaineers, it remains to be seen.
Just like a lot of other folks, I’ll be filling out a bracket (at least one) and will share those picks online, along with my experiences while completing the bracket and watching the games. Enjoy the madness!
The ACC Bubble Watch
Filed under: ACC, NCAA Tournament, college basketball, sports
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you know that the month of March signals the beginning of March Madness. I will definitely be keeping track of things all month long, from the small conference tournaments through the national championship game. But before we get to that final destination, we still have a few days until one of the great holy days on the sports calendar: Selection Sunday. Between now and then, teams will play their way into, or out of, the NCAA tournament. Those teams who inclusion in the tournament seems in doubt are often said to be “on the bubble.” The first of many posts about March Madness will take a look at those teams considered to be on the bubble in the ACC.
Depending on where you look, the ACC as of this writing has three or four safe teams, or locks, and three or four teams on the bubble. For the purposes of this exercise, Duke, Maryland and Clemson will be considered in the tournament. Wake Forest is close to being a lock, and according to several sites is in the safe zone as of today. I will say that Wake isn’t exactly finishing strong, having lost three in a row with two difficult games on tap to close out the regular season-a road game against Florida State and a home game against Clemson. The Florida State game may amount to a play-in game, with both teams needing a win to shore up their body of work. With a couple more wins, Wake may play their way off the bubble.
That leaves three remaining teams to discuss: Florida State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. It appears that the Seminoles (RPI 54) have the best upside of the three, with some great numbers and wins in their favor (wins over Marquette, and a 3-0 record against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech). However, the non-conference strength of schedule is weak, and they have a 6-7 record against the RPI top 100 which includes a loss to a Florida team also on the bubble. The one bad loss is to NC State. The Seminoles should get in, but a loss to Miami in the regular season finale will cause some doubts.
Virginia Tech (RPI 52) has been a surprise in the conference, but their national profile is suspect . The non-conference strength of schedule is even weaker than Florida State’s, they are on a three-game losing streak and their record is 5-5 against the RPI top 100. They also have losses to Boston College and Miami. Tonight’s game against NC State is a must win, and the finale against Georgia Tech is another potential bubble buster. Virginia Tech needs to win at least two games; if they split their final two regular season contests they will definitely need to win a game in the ACC tournament. No matter what, the Hokies cannot afford to lose to the Wolfpack. Even if they win those two games, there’s a good chance they will be on pins and needles again on Selection Sunday (as it seems they are almost every year).
While Georgia Tech has some great stats in their favor (high strength of schedule, and RPI of 35), they also have some demerits. Even though they have some of the best wins of the three teams on the bubble (Duke, Siena, Wake Forest, Clemson, Charlotte) they are 7-8 against teams in the RPI top 100 and also have two bad losses to Miami and Virginia. They also have a loss to Dayton (also on the bubble) on the resume, and were swept by Florida State. The regular season finale against the Hokies is a key game to watch for both teams, as the winner may go dancing and the loser may be headed to the N.I.T.
Stay tuned over the next ten days to see what happens.
Why Greivis Vasquez May Not Be The ACC Player Of The Year
Hello, Terp Fans! Got your attention have I?
For this post, mindpinball becomes Ethan Hunt (or Jim Phelps, if your memory goes back that far) of the Impossible Missions Force. Today’s task: come up with reasons why Greivis Vasquez will not be the ACC Player of the Year. As it happens, I think he is the frontrunner; with a great performance against Duke on Senior Night, he should just about put the competition away (especially if the Terps get a W). Nevertheless, if Vasquez does not win POY, here are some reasons (plausibility of which may be in question) why:
- The ACC is based in North Carolina, which makes it difficult (yet not impossible) for a player who doesn’t play for one of the North Carolina schools to win POY. Of course it has happened, all of fourteen times in fifty-seven seasons. A Maryland player has won the award five times previously: Albert King (1980), Len Bias (1985, 1986), Joe Smith (1995) and Juan Dixon (2002). Surely the voters wouldn’t take it away from Greivis, would they? If so, it may be because of reason number 2:
- The Duke Factor. Given the fact that the Blue Devils may be the class of the conference, they have to have at least one player of the year candidate. They may in fact have two: Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler. However, Singler-the preseason pick for player of the year-has not been quite as good as expected. Scheyer has done about as well as expected. Given the love affair some people have with Duke, you’d have to think that if Scheyer outplays Vasquez tonight, coupled with a Duke victory, it could be enough to put him over the top.
- The player from out of nowhere. I don’t know if this will apply or not, given Saturday’s results, but Malcolm Delaney of Virginia Tech was having a stellar season as well. He is the primary reason Virginia Tech should finish in the upper half of the conference standings-not bad for a team picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll. However, with Greivis outplaying him Saturday, Delaney’s stock may have dropped a bit.
- The “I don’t like Greivis” campaign. This may be the weakest argument yet. From the U-S-A chants at NC State, to the folks (and they are out there) who don’t like Vasquez’s flash and swagger, to his playing to the crowd, he may not have as many votes in his corner as he needs. Despite all that, his season cannot be denied (unless one of the other three arguments come into play).
That’s all I got folks. Believe me, I am not trying to jinx his chances. Thank you for reading. This post may (but probably won’t) self-destruct as soon as you finish.
Terps Clamp Down On Defense, Wear Down Clemson
The Maryland Terrapins claimed their fourth win in a row and solidified their hold on second place in the ACC with a come from behind win over the Clemson Tigers by the score of 88-79. The Terps were led by Sean Mosley’s 20 points, but the most important player was Greivis Vasquez. Vasquez struggled with his shot all game, but managed to score 15 points, while piling up 13 assists, and adding 3 steals and 2 rebounds. Jordan Williams, whose development seems to grow game to game added 18 points and Eric Hayes chipped in with 15.
The game itself was a tale of two halves. In the first half, Clemson bombed away from three point land, making (for them) an uncharacteristic 50 percent of their three-point attempts in the first half. The Maryland defense seemed a step slow, with Clemson getting a lot of wide open looks that they were converting. Even when Clemson missed, they were taking advantage on the offensive glass-a problem the Terps also had against Georgia Tech in their last game. At one point, the Tigers ran off 15 unanswered points and eventually built the lead up to 15 points. The Terps were reeling at several points in the half, but managed to cut to the lead to 11 points by halftime.
In the second half, the Terps turned up the defense and Clemson’s open looks started to disappear. And as those open looks disappeared, the Tigers cooled off from their hot shooting start. The Terps gradually reduced the lead, and as the tightened defense began to wear down the Tigers, the Terps took control of the game. A 24-6 run turned a 61-53 deficit to a 77-67 lead with six minutes to play. From there, Vasquez and the Terps made enough plays to keep control and seal the win.
With the win, and the loss by Virginia Tech to Boston College, the Terps tightened their grip on second place in the ACC. However, a showdown with the Hokies in Blacksburg looms on Saturday. And there are some things to be concerned about-the slow start, the troubles on the glass (Clemson had 14 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Terps 47-34) and their usually reliable free-throw shooting went missing. Despite all of that, it was a good win against a very determined Clemson team. The win give the Terps 10 conference wins, and keeps them undefeated at home in conference play. Games like these will serve to give the Terps confidence heading into March.
Maryland Terrapins: Time To Pay Attention
Filed under: ACC, NCAA, basketball, college basketball, following the locals, sports
With football about to go on hiatus (the games, not the business), the time has come for me to begin paying attention to college and pro hoops. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been kinda keeping an eye on both of them (the NBA due to the Arenas mess and the fantasy basketball league I’m in), but this post will be about ACC hoops in general and the Maryland Terrapins in particular.
Almost every year without fail, the ACC is generally acknowledged as one of, if not the best, college hoops conference. Football in the ACC is a secondary thought-the joke is that the ACC is a basketball conference that dabbles in football. That perception is primarily borne on the success of the two unquestioned powerhouses in conference-Duke and North Carolina. Year after year, these two programs are the marquee features in the league, with successful season after successful season. Their success is often a given in the league-almost every year one or the other is expected to win the league and claim its automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. This year was expected to be no different. However, this year the conference race is wide open. Duke, while still good, is still beatable with the same flaws that have shown up in recent years. North Carolina is suffering a hangover no one really expected, as their young players haven’t quite gotten up to speed with life in the ACC. Everyone else is up and down depending on the opponent.
As it stands right now, Duke is in front, with a one game lead over a surprising Maryland Terrapins squad that is tied with Duke in the loss column. If the Terps can beat North Carolina today, they will finish the first half of their conference schedule with a 6-2 record, which actually wouldn’t be too shabby. The two conference games the Terps lost could hardly be considered shocking: a 2-point overtime loss to an athletic Wake Forest team and a loss to Clemson, both on the road. The Clemson loss may represent the worst game the Terps have played in conference so far. The second half of their conference schedule features two games with Duke and Virginia, the conference’s other surprise team, as well as dates with Clemson, Virginia Tech, NC State and Georgia Tech. A 5-4 finish would get the Terps to 20 wins with 10 losses, and a 10-6 conference record. Granted, as a fan of the Terps you would want them to do better than that down the stretch, but that finish coupled with one win in the ACC tournament should be enough to get the Terps into the NCAA tournament for a second consecutive season. This time last year, Gary Williams was coming under fire for losing games and clashing with the administration, and yet this year, I’ve heard nothing about coaching, or problems.
So from this point forward, I’ll be giving college hoops greater attention between now and the NCAA championship game.
ACC: Looking Like Georgia Tech and Clemson
Filed under: ACC, NCAA Football, college football, football, sports
With the ACC football season coming down to its final weeks, we can say with certainty that the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have emerged as the best team in the conference. With a spot in the ACC championship game clinched by Saturday’s blowout of Duke, the Yellow Jackets have a chance to play for a spot in the BCS, likely in the Orange Bowl. With only one loss in conference to a Miami Hurricanes team that has fallen from its somewhat lofty perch from earlier in the season, there can be little doubt that they have been the ACC’s best team. With only the annual rivalry game left on the schedule against Georgia following a bye week, the Yellow Jackets can get ready for the conference championship game, while waiting to see who their opponent will be.
That opponent looks to be the Clemson Tigers. The Tigers, aside from a victory over Miami in overtime, have been quietly going about their business ever since the loss to Maryland. With a win over fading Virginia on Saturday, Clemson will clinch a spot in the conference championship game to face the Yellow Jackets. Clemson did what they needed to do in a victory over N.C. State. The matchup will be a rematch of an exciting game that took place way back in week 2 on a Thursday night in Atlanta. In a back and forth affair, Tech edged Clemson by 3 with a late field goal being the difference. If the championship game is as exciting as that game was (provided Clemson makes it there), fans will not be disappointed.
Elsewhere, the conference has four other bowl-eligible teams: Boston College, Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina. Florida State and Duke have chances to become bowl eligible with one more win. The road appears to be easier for the Seminoles than it does for the Blue Devils. Florida State has a date with Maryland before ending the season in the annual matchup with the #1 Florida Gators. Duke has a trip to Miami followed by a home date with Wake Forest. Neither game appears to be easy; Miami despite its recent inconsistency, has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, and the Demon Deacons will be plenty motivated to finish their season on a high note.
ACC: Dreams Die In Atlanta
Filed under: ACC, BCS, NCAA Football, college football, sports
Prior to Saturday’s loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Virginia Tech Hokies would have had you believe that they deserved to be in the “conversation.” That the one loss they had suffered in the opening game of the season to the Alabama Crimson Tide was looking better and better by the week. That when the BCS standings came out on Sunday, as the best one-loss team in the nation, they would be in the thick of things, clinging to hope that the field would come back to them and they would be in the mix to play for college football’s national championship.
Saturday the Hokies returned to Atlanta, the city of their opening game loss, to take on Georgia Tech. And while the Hokies fought valiantly, their woes on the road in general, and in Atlanta this season specifically, caught up to them in a 28-23 loss, that all but effectively ended the Hokies chances to get in the national championship mix. The big dog is no more. You could say, why not Miami or Georgia Tech? Shouldn’t they get national championship consideration? Well Miami would, except for their loss to Virginia Tech, who now will drift down in the polls, plus the fact that their best wins have come over a Florida State team that currently sits at 0-3 in conference play and an Oklahoma team that just suffered its third loss Saturday against Texas. Miami will have to win out, and with some style to play in a BCS game, not necessarily the national championship game. The path for Georgia Tech is even more daunting; because they started so low in the polls, there’s almost no way they can move up high enough to be rated in the top two in the BCS, and they have a loss to Miami on their record.
Elsewhere in the conference, if you can tell me right now who will be playing in the conference’s championship game, let me know. As of right now, that game would feature Boston College against Virginia. That would be the Eagles, who hung 52 points on NC State over the weekend, but couldn’t do hardly anything offensively against Clemson or Virginia Tech-and the Cavaliers, who were left for dead in Setpember, but haven’t lost a conference game as yet. Natrually, I don’t expect that to last. For one thing, anyone can win the Atlantic Division, even bottom-dweller Florida State, which faces an important game against fellow winless-in-conference North Carolina on Thursday night. I can’t see Virginia holding on either; the Yellow Jackets come calling in Charlottesville on Saturday, and Virginia Tech and Miami lie in wait.
So, it looks like another season where the teams in the conference will beat each other up, but no shot at national championship glory. Enjoy the conference races, maybe even enjoy the conference title game. It will be interesting to see who represents the conference in the BCS and what team they will match up against, but that is a long way down the road.
ACC: Playing For Bobby
Filed under: ACC, NCAA Football, college football, football
The big story in ACC football last week had nothing to do with any of the games played on Saturday. The week’s big story concerned the dean of coaches in the conference, Bobby Bowden at Florida State. Thanks to Jim Smith, the chairman of the university’s board of trustees, this quote made Bowden the center of attention all last week:
“My hope is frankly that we’ll go ahead, and if we have to, let the world know that this year will be the end of the Bowden era… I do appreciate what he’s done for us, what he’s done for the program, what he’s done really for the state of Florida.
“I think the record will show that the Seminole Nation has been more than patient. We have been in a decline not for a year or two or three but I think we’re coming up on seven or eight. I think enough is enough.”
With that quote about Bowden, whether it was whether or not he should resign, whether Jimbo Fisher (the coach-in-waiting), was ready to assume the mantle, how much money it would take to get Fisher signed, or to release him if Bowden is kept on past 2010, overshadowed any discussion of the upcoming game against Georgia Tech. While there are still fans who support Bowden, media and a now more vocal contingent is beginning to believe that it is time for the man who put Florida State football on the map to ride off into the sunset. Bowden will turn 80 years old on November 8, and for some time now, folks believe that age, and a fall from the standard he set in building the program prove that it’s time for a different voice as football coach.
Those that would criticize Bowden are using this season as an example. Except for a through domination of BYU in the third game of the season, Florida State has not lived up to expectations. An opening game near-miss against Miami was followed by a sleepwalking victory against Jacksonville State. Following the BYU game, the Seminoles have lost three consecutive games; two of those at home. First to South Florida starting a freshman at quarterback at home; then to Boston College on the road, to a team that in games against Clemson and Virginia Tech, had offensive troubles. Despite the crowd’s support for Bowden, and his players playing for him, the team came up short on Saturday. With Saturday’s loss to Georgia Tech 49-44, the Seminoles now have a three game losing streak, and are still looking for their first conference win. The Seminoles are in a place that they are not accustomed to being in: the bottom of the conference’s Atlantic Division standings. At 0-3 in conference, and 2-4 overall at the halfway point of the season, everyone is looking for the team to pick it up, and soon. A big game looms on October 22 against North Carolina, also winless in conference play. If Florida State loses that game, the cries for Bowden to leave will grow even louder.
Elsewhere in the conference, Virginia Tech is proving to be the class of the conference, and with a few breaks, may establish itself as a national championship contender. With only the loss against Alabama on the ledger, if the Hokies continue to win through the ACC championship game, and the teams above it suffer losses, who knows? Miami continued its winning ways, establishing itself as the second-best team in the conference and Georgia Tech’s win over Florida State would make it a solid third choice. Tech’s defensive issues though, may catch up with them before long. Everyone else, did what they did. Maryland fell back to earth after the Clemson win by getting drilled by Wake Forest. Virginia, once left for dead at the beginning of the season, now has won two games in a row with a 40-point win over Indiana of the Big Ten. Thaddeus Lewis threw for 459 yards in a Duke (Duke?) win over N.C. State. Finally North Carolina got a win over Georgia Southern.
ACC: Ain’t No Tellin’
Filed under: ACC, NCAA Football, SEC, college football, football, sports
Another college football weekend in the books, another unpredictable set of games for ACC conference teams. Like the title says, ain’t no tellin’ what you’re gonna get from week to week.
Start with what, until Saturday, were universally assumed to be the conference doormats. Virginia, which hadn’t won a game all season, and had lost its opening game against William & Mary, went down to North Carolina and beat the Tar Heels, giving them their second conference loss in a row. That win puts the Cavaliers at 1-0 in conference, making them and Virginia Tech unbeaten in the conference’s Coastal Division. And Maryland, giving away games faster than people give out Halloween candy, held on with a defensive effort not seen all season to beat Clemson 24-21. Can’t believe anyone could have seen that one coming (I know I didn’t). That win makes Maryland the only unbeaten team in the conference’s Atlantic division. How is this possible? Ain’t no tellin’.
Follow that up witih Miami’s Hurricanes, last seen being overmatched in the rain against the Hokies, bouncing back to beat Oklahoma, 21-20. Say what you want about the Sooners missing Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham and Ryan Broyles, Miami scored their points against the Sooner defense, which to my knowledge is still acknowledged as a pretty talented group of players. I’m not sure if that win brings Miami back into the national championship conversation, but anything can happen in college football, and the ‘Canes, just like the Hokies, only have one loss. If Florida, Texas and Alabama suffer losses in the coming weeks, do those two teams get back in the conversation? Ain’t no tellin’.
Elsewhere, Florida State…which team is this? Played Miami down to the wire, came out flat against Jacksonville State, destroyed BYU (which beat Oklahoma) in Utah, now losing to South Florida and Boston College (which lost to Clemson). Saturday’s loss to the Eagles means that the Seminoles are now 0-2 in conference, but you can’t really count them out of the Atlantic Division. I don’t think Maryland sitting on top of the division is any reason to panic, but the Seminoles have got to start playing better ball if they want to be a part of that conversation. Virginia Tech, which looked like world-beaters against Miami last week, held on to defeat Duke, and Wake Forest defeated a N.C. State team that just hung a loss on Pittsburgh of the Big East last week. Georgia Tech stepped out of conference and beat Mississippi State of the SEC, giving them a two-game winning streak. So, it looks like another conference season where the teams will beat up on each other…or will there be a “big dog” with a shot at, at this time, an unlikely national championship?
You got it: ain’t no tellin’.
ACC: Uhhh, Never Mind
Filed under: ACC, Big East, NCAA Football, college football, following the locals, football, sports
One of the wonderful things about writing a sports blog is that you can get your opinion out among the masses. Your voice can be heard among the din. It allows you an avenue of personal expression. In sports, we write about teams, players and games and the issues that arise from them. Often times, we write about what we believe perception to be among or about teams, players and games. So posts like this one, are par for the course for sports blogging. The idea being, you want to get your ideas out before the game begins. At the time I wrote it, hype for the Miami Hurricanes was at a fever pitch. I got it posted just a couple hours before game time.
Then they played the game.
In a Saturday that was just about as bad as the opening weekend, the ACC which was looking at some national respect had the Hurricanes won, now have no real chance at being a factor in the national conversation…unless the field comes back to them. Even then, it will probably be a hard sell to talk up an ACC team that has a shot at a national championship. After yesterday, the conference’s best hope is Virginia Tech, and they’ve already suffered a takedown by Alabama, and a near miss by Nebraska. Not exactly dominance we have here, is it? But for one day, Virginia Tech looked like world beaters, and Miami gave them all the help they needed. Despite all the hype, the game proved that Miami, while talented, is still young. They aren’t back…not yet anyways.
As for the rest of the conference-when your best win on the day is a comeback win against Pittsburgh-not to take anything away from the Panthers, but the ACC played the Big East in three games yesterday, with home field advantage in each, and went 1-2-that’s not saying anything. It certainly doesn’t raise the national profile. If you want something else that’s positive-Duke beat an FCS team rather easily. Other than that, not much. Maryland was done in by turnovers and was crushed by Rutgers, Florida State lost to a South Florida team starting a freshman QB at home. So, if you follow the Almost Competition Conference, you can look forward to a great conference race (witness Georgia Tech bouncing back from last week’s loss to Miami by beating North Carolina), but nothing in the way of a title contender. Again.
Twitter: @mindpinball
- @SidelinePass good morning co-music librarian...thanks for the #FF.
- @ninerchick05 shoot. I read that article and STILL picked Texas. I watched Wake all season. Thought TX could put it together for one night.
- You get...the finger! RT @ninerchick05: Them FTs...Texas played to lose today :middle finger to Rick Barnes and Texas:
- @niclake13 Dino gets off the schneid...as a reward, he gets Kentucky.
- @niclake13 the Texas talent doesn't always play together very well though.
- @niclake13 TX may be garbage, but there's a load of talent on that squad. Wake has talent too, but it doesn't always show up.
- @ninerchick05 here ya go: http://tinyurl.com/ybcktyj
- @niclake13 what reason was that? Dino Gaudio is 0 for postseason. At least Rick Barnes has won a postseason game.
- @ninerchick05 LOL...he's preparing his boys for the League. Winning the tournament isn't his primary goal.
- Texas done woke up. Rick Barnes and his NBA squad just might win this thing after all.
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